Star Trek Warrior: Retribution
by VoteDave
Summary: A story from a Star Trek fan series set aboard the Intrepid-class U.S.S. Warrior. This story, set in 2377, comes chronologically after the ‘Titanic’ story I recently posted. The Prologue is intended to be a spoof of the opening scene of ‘Temple of Doom’ .
1. Prologue

**Prologue**

Nyah Khan looked around at the thickening fog and decided that if she did not increase her pace, she would never reach her destination. In the pea soup that surrounded her, every building looked like every other. Floating street illuminators were few and far between, and the mercenary Captain was not at all familiar with this damn city, the capital on planet Marridon IV.

She scoffed at the mere thought of this ridiculous planet. Less than a century ago, like-minded entrepreneurs from various races had come together to try and turn Marridon into the hospitality centre of the universe. What a joke! The place was always damp, through rain or fog. It was rarely cold but that was because a thick layer of pollution in the atmosphere trapped the heat of the sun. Despite those setbacks, however, people continued to come to the numerous hotels, bars and brothels on the planet surface.

Nyah herself, in fact, was on her way to Brigg's Palace, the most expensive hotel on Marridon. Not that she wanted to stay there, of course, but she had a 'business' meeting, and Brigg's Palace was to be the venue.

Nyah tugged uncomfortably at her collar. Being the most expensive hotel, where only the richest of peoples went, she was dressed accordingly. A smart grey trouser suit had replaced her standard attire of rough, durable clothes and long leather jacket. Her hair was not tied back in its normal ponytail, but had instead been let down and was flowing about her shoulders.

She looked around again, making out only vague shapes. Cursing under her breath, she hurried on down the street. The fog was getting denser by the moment, and she could swear someone was following her.

Suddenly, Nyah's face lit up. _Finally._ Through the concealing, befuddling fog, she could make out the bright lights of Brigg's Palace. The mercenary quickened her step until she was stood in the foyer of the impressive hotel. She noticed her second in command, B'tel, was stood waiting for her. B'tel was also dressed in smart attire, and she carried a case.

"Has he arrived yet?" demanded Nyah.

"Yeah," B'tel responded. "He's been in there for about twenty-minutes now."

"Come on then," Nyah strode towards a set of large double doors in the right wall of the lobby. The two mercenaries descended a short staircase into the main bar area of the hotel. An enormous room decorated in shades of white and pearl. Hanging drapes were dotted about the area and a live band was performing on a small stage. Numerous tables filled the centre of the room and the bar itself ran along almost the entire length of a wall. Huge windows at the rear showed the damp fog outside. Lots of customers, of varying races, were present in the establishment, most of them seated at the tables. Bar staff mingled among them, carrying trays of drinks. One of the waiters saw Nyah and B'tel enter. The young Trill male winked at the mercenary Captain as he passed her. Smiling, Nyah looked around the room, finally spotting who she was looking for. Seated at a table near the stage was the man she was here to see. Two other people were at the table with him.

"Lao Chay," Nyah greeted, making her way over to the table.

"Nyah Khan," Lao grinned back. "Please, have a seat." Nyah and B'tel pulled up chairs on the opposite side of the table. The three males were all of the same race, with a pronounced ridge running from the bottom of their noses to the top of their foreheads. Another two ridges flanked this one in a 'V' shape on the forehead. Lao was the most imposing of them. Tall and well built, with an oriental look about him, though Nyah actually had no idea what race he or the others belonged to. She really didn't care. Lao was sat rubbing his thin moustache, scrutinising Nyah. "So," he said, "did you get what I am after?"

"You know I did," responded Nyah. "Last night one of your boys tried to steal it off me, then paid for his mistake!" The young male to Lao's left looked sheepish and began cuddling his arm, which was in a sling, evidently broken.

"You have insulted my son," Lao informed her.

"No," Nyah corrected, "you've insulted me. You're lucky I spared his life!" The man to Lao's right, evidently a bodyguard of some sort, said something in a language neither Nyah nor B'tel recognised. Though it was clearly some violent gesture towards the mercenaries. Lao calmed him with a raise of his hand when he saw a waiter approaching. It was the same waiter who had winked at Nyah. The waiter began placing drinks on the table.

"Do not worry," Lao told his henchman, "Ms Khan is going to give it to me now!" Nyah saw Lao's son pull out a disrupter pistol and point it at her.

"Put the gun away," the waiter said. Lao turned to see that under his tray, the man was also brandishing a pistol.

"Good staff here," smiled B'tel. Realising that the waiter was a friend of Nyah's, Lao ordered his son to put his weapon away.

"I suggest you give me what you owe me," Nyah suggested. Noticing the waiter still had the disrupter trained on him, Lao reached into his pocket and pulled out a small bag. He slid it across the table. B'tel opened it and tipped its contents onto the tabletop. Small bars of Gold Pressed Latinum. "That wasn't the deal, Lao," Nyah reminded him. "Now where is it?" Very reluctantly, Lao pulled out another bag and passed it to the mercenaries. Again, B'tel opened it, this time pulling out a beautiful purple gemstone, evidently of great value.

"Now it is your turn, Ms Khan," said Lao through gritted teeth. "Give me what I want."

"My pleasure," Nyah complied. She motioned to B'tel, who passed the case she was carrying, across the table.

"Where did you find them?" Lao asked, opening the case.

"Graccus VI," Nyah told him. "Purely by chance in fact. I had some other business to take care of on that planet." Lao pulled out of the case, what looked like pieces of old clay pots. Something an archaeologist would be interested in, not a dangerous gangster. "So what are they," Nyah casually asked.

"That is none of your concern!" Lao snapped at her.

Nyah gave him a wave of her hand, "Yeah, whatever! We'll be going now." She and B'tel got up to leave.

"One moment," Lao beckoned. "We have not finished our dealings."

"What's left?" Nyah contemptuously asked.

"You have to give me the gemstone," Lao stated. Nyah looked at the precious stone she was holding, then back at Lao.

"Are you trying to develop a sense of humour?" she smirked. "Or am I going deaf?" The gemstone was her payment for delivering the artefacts. She was also the one who had an operative pointing a gun at Lao and his men. Nyah reached inside her jacket and pulled out a small disrupter pistol and pointed it at Lao. "You are in no position to make demands like that!"

"Oh no?" grinned the gangster.

"Nyah!" B'tel shouted suddenly. Spinning round, Nyah saw that another of Lao's men had entered the bar, brandishing a disrupter rifle. He had it trained on the mercenaries.

"Get down!" shouted Nyah, jumping to the floor. B'tel did the same, just as the henchman opened fire. The disrupter blasts flew across the room and slammed into the Trill waiter, sending his charred body to the floor. Patrons stopped what they were doing and began to watch what was going on. Some of them screamed and ran out, but many of them were used to scenes like this. Nyah and B'tel, meanwhile, had wriggled across the floor and were now in the process of jumping behind the bar for protection.

"Kill them!" Lao shouted. The henchman turned his rifle at the bar and the two seated with Lao also drew guns.

"There's gratitude for you!" B'tel stated, crouching under the bar along with Nyah and all the bar staff. They could all feel the disrupter blasts slamming into the other side of the bar, and the glasses and shelves on the wall above them were being blown to smithereens.

"Remind me not to do business with him again," smiled Nyah. She removed the jacket of her suit, revealing that the smart white top underneath had had the sleeves ripped off. Much more Nyah's style!

"We need to draw their fire," said B'tel. Nyah noticed that one of the cowering waiters was holding a round metal tray, so she crawled along behind the bar to snatch it off him.

"Ready?" she asked B'tel.

"Ready," the second in command replied. Nyah jumped out from under the bar and stood up. She threw the tray like a Frisbee and it soared across the room, hitting the rifle brandishing henchman. The impact caused him to drop his weapon and fall backward, smashing a table on his way to the floor. Lao's son and the bodyguard opened fire with their pistols, but missed the mercenaries. Nyah and B'tel fired their own weapons in response, hitting the gangsters and blasting holes into their chests. As the two bodies fell to the floor, Lao decided it was time to leave. Nyah laughed as he waddled out of the room.

"Well, our work here is done," stated Nyah. She and B'tel then came out from behind the bar and made for the exit.

"Not so fast, Ms Khan!" Lao re-entered the room, flanked by two more rifle brandishing henchmen.

"Jeez, this guy doesn't know when to quit does he," B'tel smirked.

"Obliterate those two!" cried Lao. The two henchmen opened fire on the mercenaries.

"See ya, Lao," shouted Nyah, as she and B'tel ran across the room, disrupter fire at their heels the whole way. Upon reaching the far wall, the two of them leapt into the air and jumped straight through the full-length windows, sending shards of glass flying. Lao chased after them and climbed through the shattered windows into the foggy alleyway beyond. Nyah and her second in command were gone.

The customers in the bar watched with shocked expressions as Lao climbed back inside, cursing the two mercenaries under his breath. Upon reaching his two henchmen, the gangster grabbed one of the disrupter rifles off them and proceeded to gun them both down.

"I do not accept failure," he told their corpses.

As all this was going on, a lone figure in a dark corner watched. He was a well-built individual with brown hair and a goatee. Although he was Human, numerous cybernetic implants in his body revealed that he had once been a member of the Borg Collective. Nicholas Ryan nodded in satisfaction, and then disappeared back into the shadows.


	2. Chapter 1

**Chapter**

**1**

"Captain's log: Stardate 54622.4. I've come with Mister Erram to Graccus VI. Our goal is to find a woman named Ashley Jones, as we believe that she is involved in a smuggling ring that has been operating in this quadrant for the last year. Starfleet wants it stopped before the operation spreads any further than it already has."

Captain David Blakeney's eyes swept the murky interior of the pub. There were few patrons; those that were there tended to hover in the shadows towards the rear. What were clearly prostitutes lounged in a bored fashion along the bar, but there were no takers. He was aware of Lieutenant Erram at his side, studying the room as intently as he was. Both of the Starfleet officers were wearing tough civilian clothes. It had taken the two of them nearly an hour to find this sordid little den, but Blakeney had been told that this is where he could find Ashley Jones. The Captain had spotted the owner behind the bar the moment they'd come in. She was notable because of her four arms, but even without those, she'd have still stuck out. She was blowsy and plump, with frizzy dyed black hair and too much makeup; cheap-looking artificial jewellery adorned her fingers, her hair, and her nose. Her pink sequinned gown was loose and flowing, but it did not conceal her ample girth. Physical appearance aside, however, she was the owner, and if anyone knew anything about Jones, she would.

"Erram," Blakeney turned to the Bolian, "I want you to mingle with the customers. See if they know anything about Jones."

"Aye, sir," nodded Erram, wondering what Blakeney would be doing.

"I'm going to see what I can get out of the woman behind the bar," explained Blakeney, as if in response to Erram's thoughts. "She's obviously the owner, maybe she knows something." The two officers parted company and Blakeney moved towards the bar. The owner was sucking on a salt stick and seemed oblivious to his approach, though the Captain's instincts told him she was very aware. He sat in one of the unoccupied stools at the bar, and the owner gave him a quick, noncommittal glance.

"A new face," she drawled in a husky voice.

"Same one I've always had," countered Blakeney. He thought that humour might take the edge off the situation and so was pleased to see a ready grin spread to her lips.

"What can I get for you?" the owner asked. As the pub was called Y'marr's, Blakeney assumed that she was called Y'marr. In response to her question, the Starfleet officer resisted the urge to say nothing, as that would appear suspicious. No one comes to a bar if they don't want a drink, unless they're looking for someone.

"Aldebaran whiskey," Blakeney ordered. Two of Y'marr's hands set about pouring a shot of the whiskey into a glass, another worked the salt stick in her mouth, and the fourth offered the Captain one from a nearby bowl.

"Suck salt?" she queried.

"Never cared for it," replied Blakeney. He thought it a disgusting habit, and wondered if the people who were caught up in it realised what it did to their mouths. He remembered that during his time at the Academy he'd dated a woman who loved her salt sticks, and every time he kissed her he felt his own mouth pucker and dry; it was like kissing a desert floor.

"Good for you. Nasty habit," Y'marr took a few more licks whilst placing Blakeney's drink onto the bar. "Who are you looking for?"

Caught a little off-guard, Blakeney felt his reply was bumbling, "Who says I'm looking for anybody?"

"Come on pal," the woman acted offended, "no one comes in here anymore unless they're looking for someone. Plus it's written all over your face." Blakeney took a sip of his beverage. This woman was clearly not going to be easily fooled.

"All right," he told her. "I'm looking for a woman called Ashley Jones."

"Really? She hasn't been here for days," Y'marr seemed coy. "Why?"

"We had business dealings," Blakeney told her a prearranged story. "I was supposed to meet her to finalise the deal."

"What 'business dealings'?" Y'marr asked, dropping her salt stick back into the bowl.

"That is between Miss Jones and myself," Blakeney was adamant.

"Well you might as well tell me," another grin appeared on Y'marr's generous mouth, "because you won't be telling Ashley Jones."

"What do you mean by that?" wondered Blakeney. Was it some sort of threat perhaps?

"There's a reason she hasn't been in here for days," Y'marr's delivery was dry, but Blakeney felt there was a touch of regret in her voice.

"Why is that?" Blakeney gently prodded. Y'marr sighed faintly and looked down.

"She's dead," she said softly.

"Excuse me?" Blakeney didn't think he'd heard her quite right.

Her head shot back up and looked Blakeney straight in the eyes, "You heard me! She's dead! Murdered!"

"Murdered?" Blakeney was disappointed, but couldn't say he was surprised. The smuggling ring was rumoured to be very very dangerous.

"Right here in this bar," Y'marr went on. "She got into a fight with another so-called 'business partner'. This partner pulled a disrupter on Ashley. I can remember looking down at her after that bitch had shot her. Her face was so full of pain." It was obvious that Y'marr had had a soft spot for this woman. "It took me hours to get the stains out of the carpet!" Blakeney realised that humour was obviously this woman's way of coping with things, but she was definitely troubled by the death of Jones. He decided to try and find out who this 'business partner' had been. Maybe she knew something about the smugglers.

"Do you know who it was that killed her," Blakeney gently asked.

"Not by name," Y'marr began to revert back to her friendly but elusive self. "I've seen her a few times though." The bar owner pulled out a jar and shook it, making a rattling sound. "Why don't you drop a few coins in the jar. I'll see what I remember." Blakeney reached into the jacket he was wearing and pulled out a couple of strips of Gold Pressed Latinum. The Captain had prepared for this eventuality. "Let's see now," Y'marr went on, "She's Human, like yourself. Long brown hair. She has a ship but I can't remember what it's called." Blakeney dropped another strip into the jar.

"Jog any memories?" he asked.

"It's slowly coming back to me," Y'marr moved closer to Blakeney and he got a whiff of her salty breath. Seeing that she had also moved her pot closer, he put another strip into it. He hoped that she wouldn't have many more memory lapses, or he'd be out of money! "The _Armageddon_," Y'marr stated. "Her ship was called the _Armageddon_."

"_Armageddon_?" Blakeney jumped off his barstool. "Are you sure?"

"I'm always sure," Y'marr confidently told him.

"Do you know where she went?" demanded the Starfleet Captain.

"Afraid not," Y'marr shook her head. Noticing that Blakeney was reaching for more Latinum, she said, "No really. This time I have no idea. She made some remark about returning to paradise. But that was it. Maybe it's some sort of code."

The corners of Blakeney's mouth turned up, "That's no code." He made to leave, "Thank you for all your help, madam."

"You're welcome, pal," Y'marr replied, taken slightly aback by Blakeney's hurried departure. She watched as the stranger approached his Bolian friend and motioned him away from the conversation he was having with one of the prostitutes.

"Anything?" Blakeney asked.

"Either no one knows anything, or no one is willing to disclose anything," Erram reported. The two incognito Starfleet officers headed for the door. "Did you have any luck?"

"I think so," stated Blakeney. "We need to go to Paradise."

Erram paused, "Captain?"

* * *

"So who is Nyah Khan?" Erram asked. He and Blakeney exited the transporter room and made their way down one of the many corridors aboard _U.S.S. Warrior_.

"She's an old… acquaintance," Blakeney explained. "A mercenary Captain. She has no morals and for a high enough price she'll work for anyone."

"She sounds charming," scoffed Erram.

Blakeney continued, "We've had numerous dealings with her before."

"And it was she who killed Ashley Jones?" Erram wondered.

"I believe so," Blakeney confirmed.

"Did the owner of that bar tell you where to find Nyah?" inquired Erram.

"Indeed she did, Mister Erram," nodded Blakeney. "In Paradise." The Bolian Lieutenant shook his head in confusion. He feared that his Captain had finally gone mad. The two of them reached the end of a hallway, and Blakeney pushed the keypad to call a turbolift.

Blakeney activated the intercom system, "Blakeney to bridge. Miss Phillips, would you contact Starfleet Intelligence. I want to talk to their operative on Constantius III."

"Yes, Captain," Lieutenant Commander Jennifer Phillips responded. The automatic doors then opened so Blakeney and Erram stepped into the turbolift.

"I didn't know Starfleet had an undercover operative on Constantius III," admitted Erram.

"He's not been there long," Blakeney explained. "Deck 3," he told the computer. Beeping, the turbolift closed its doors and made its way to the deck above. "He was sent there last month."

"May I ask why?" Erram asked as the turbolift car came to a stop and the doors opened.

"He's doing the same thing we are," stated Blakeney, walking out of the lift, "trying to find out information about this smuggling ring." The Captain heard the doors behind him close and he headed for his quarters to change back into his duty uniform.

* * *

"So what exactly is it that you don't understand, Erram?" Commander Michelle Fortescue asked from her chair on the bridge. Erram, who had also changed back into uniform, was seated at his post at the security/tactical station.

He explained, "I understand who Nyah Khan is, but what I don't understand is how the Captain figured Constantius III, by simply being told that Nyah was going to 'Paradise'. I'm sure you'll agree that there are other planets in the quadrant that better fit the description of a utopia."

"True," Phillips responded, "but the Captain knows something you don't."

"What's that?" the Bolian asked.

"Well," continued Phillips, "having dealt with Nyah before, we know that she frequents a particular bar on that planet."

"And that bar fits the typical description of paradise?" Erram was as confused as ever.

"Not at all," Lieutenant Shannon Wilcox put in. "As I recall, it was a smoke-filled hole. Only the scum of the universe ever go there."

"Wait a minute," Erram stopped them. "This is doing nothing to alleviate my confusion."

"The bar itself is called the Paradise Lounge," Phillips finished.

"Suddenly it all becomes clear," Erram smiled. "Though I'm sure it was a lot more complicated than it needed to be!" At that moment, the doors to Blakeney's ready room opened and the Captain stepped out.

"I've spoken to the operative on Constantius," he said, making his way over to the Commanding Officer's chair. "He informs me that Nyah was there yesterday morning, but before long she left again."

"Does he have any idea where she's gone this time?" asked Fortescue.

"In fact he does," nodded Blakeney. "Apparently she has some 'business' to take care of on planet Marridon IV."

"Does Starfleet happen to have another operative on Marridon?" Phillips wondered. "Someone who can tell whether or not she's still there."

"I'm afraid not," sighed Blakeney, seating himself in his chair. "We'll have to go there ourselves."

"Captain," Fortescue said, "you realise that we don't know for certain that Nyah knows anything about the smuggling ring."

"I'm aware of that, FO," Blakeney reasoned, "but we do know that she killed Ashley Jones, and we suspect that she had something to do with the smugglers."

"But how can we be sure that her death was anything to do with smuggling?" Wilcox put in.

"We can't, Lieutenant," answered Blakeney, "but Nyah is our only lead at the moment. Besides, this is Nyah Khan we're talking about. She seems to know about every illegal, underhand thing that goes on throughout the quadrant. Mister Parson, set a course for Marridon."

"Course plotted and laid in, Captain," Lieutenant Joseph Parson reported from the conn.

Blakeney ordered, "Engage at maximum warp." The _Warrior_ moved out of orbit of Graccus and gracefully zoomed off into the dark night of space.


	3. Chapter 2

**Chapter**

**2**

_Beep-beep boop-boop_. The ready room door chime sounded.

"Come in," Blakeney answered. The doors opened and Commander Fortescue entered. She noticed the Captain sitting behind his desk, looking at the screen of his desktop monitor.

"Captain," the First Officer approached the desk, "I just thought I'd let you know that we'll be arriving at Marridon in about five minutes."

"Thank you, Michelle," Blakeney said, looking up at her, a concerned look on his face. He motioned towards one of the chairs in front of his desk, "Take a seat." The Commander accepted the offer and Blakeney continued, "I've been looking through the reports on this smuggling ring. Besides the illegal smuggling, they're responsible for theft, kidnappings, murder, not to mention numerous other crimes."

"They must keep a very low profile. I hadn't even heard of them until we were ordered to find them," admitted Fortescue. "I'd heard rumours but that was it."

"They do keep a very low profile," Blakeney stated through gritted teeth, "which is why it's so difficult for Starfleet to find them. All we know is that they call themselves the Association."

"What exactly is it that they smuggle?" Fortescue wondered.

"Anything," Blakeney leant back in his chair. "Weapons mostly, but they've also smuggled starship parts and even little things like illegal beverages."

"Like you said," Fortescue smiled, "if anyone can lead us to them, Nyah can."

"I hope so," Blakeney sighed. "You remember the Starfleet Intelligence operative on Marridon IV you asked about?"

"And you said we didn't have one," remembered Fortescue.

"We did," Blakeney told her, "until about two weeks ago. He got too close to the smugglers and then mysteriously vanished."

"Kidnapped?" guessed Fortescue.

Blakeney shook his head; "There was no ransom demands. It's more likely that he was murdered."

"So maybe Nyah won't help us because of the consequences," realised Fortescue.

"Perhaps," Blakeney couldn't help thinking that maybe she was part of the Association. For all he knew she could lead it. It wouldn't be beyond her capabilities.

"Bridge to ready room," Blakeney's musings were cut short by the voice of Phillips over the intercom. "We've detected weapon signatures about a light year from the planet."  
"Weapon signatures?" echoed Blakeney.

"We think it's the _Armageddon_," Phillips explained.

* * *

"Alter course, Mister Parson," ordered Blakeney, rushing out of his ready room. "Take us to the source of the weapons fire." The Captain sat himself down in his chair, followed by Fortescue, who sat in the First Officer's chair to Blakeney's left. The Captain wondered what to expect. Though you could never tell with Nyah. The first time he had seen her she was fighting with a Nausicaan twice her size. He also wondered whom she was fighting this time. Was it to do with the smuggling ring, or just another 'business' associate of hers? They'd know in a moment.

"I hope she's winning the skirmish," Fortescue turned to her CO.

"Excuse me?" Blakeney inquired.

"Well as you said," explained the FO, "Nyah's our only link to the smugglers."

"We're approaching the battle zone, Captain," Parson reported.

"Take us out of warp," ordered Blakeney. "Erram, raise the shields." He watched the viewscreen as his starship dropped out of warp speed and the stretched stars returned to normal. Two ships became visible in the starscape; weapons fire was being exchanged between the two vessels.

Erram reported, "Definitely the _Armageddon_, Captain."

"And the other one?" demanded Fortescue.

"It appears to be an old Maquis raider," Erram stated, after checking his console.

"I haven't seen one of those for a while," Phillips put in.

"Looks like someone's been upgrading it," Lieutenant Wilcox examined the readouts on her station. "I'm reading enhancements to its weapons, shields, engines…" She paused.

"What is it, Lieutenant?" Blakeney turned to face his Science Officer.

"Captain, the enhancements all have a Borg signature," responded Wilcox.

"Ordinarily I'd say that the_ Armageddon_ could take care of itself," Phillips said, "but I doubt even they could withstand Borg weaponry."

"You're right, Commander," agreed Blakeney. "Open a channel to the raider."

"Channel open," Phillips replied after carrying out the order.

"This is Captain David Blakeney of the Federation starship _Warrior_," Blakeney stated. "Please break off your attack."

The raider did not respond visually, but the bridge crew all heard a male voice say, "Ugh, jeez!" The communications link was then severed.

"I'll take that as a no," Blakeney gritted his teeth. He watched the two ships on the viewscreen as they darted about, each firing their disrupters at the other. "Red Alert," Blakeney decided. "Mister Erram, arm the phasers and quantum torpedoes. Try and disable the raiders weapon systems." The Intrepid-class starship let off a volley of its own powerful phaser banks, which slammed into the shields of the Borg enhanced raider. This did not deter it, however, from its attack on the _Armageddon_.

"I wonder why they haven't opened fire on us," Fortescue thought out loud, seeing that the raider appeared to be ignoring the _Warrior_.

"We'll ask them later," Blakeney dismissed her comment, though he too was thinking the same thing. But his first concern was preventing the destruction of the mercenary ship. He got out of his chair and strode to the centre of the bridge. "Commander Phillips, contact the _Armageddon_ and tell Nyah to target her weapons on the raiders weapon systems."

"Yes, sir," Phillips complied.

Blakeney turned to Erram, "Lieutenant, fire torpedoes. Full spread." The Starfleet vessel let off a volley of quantum torpedoes that pounded the raider's hull. The _Armageddon_ also fired off a round of their own powerful weapon systems, which impacted at the same point as the _Warrior's _attack.

"The raider's weapon systems are off-line," Erram reported. The operations station then began to beep. Blakeney turned to look at his Second Officer.

"The_ Armageddon_ is hailing us, Captain," Phillips stated.

"Put it on screen," the Captain ordered, turning to face the viewer at the front of the bridge. The grinning face of Nyah Khan appeared.

"I was wondering when you'd show up," she said to Blakeney.

"I beg your pardon," Blakeney was taken aback. Did she know they were looking for her?

"Well with him on that raider I thought you would've turned up sooner," explained the mercenary.

"Who?" demanded Blakeney.

"Oh well," sighed Nyah, "Got to go. Thanks for the assistance, Blakeney." And with that, she ended the transmission. The bridge crew watched her ship on the viewscreen as it shot to warp.

"Track her," Blakeney quickly shouted at Wilcox.

"No can do, Captain," Wilcox apologised. "She's masking her warp signature."

"Dammit!" cursed Blakeney, dropping into his chair and slamming his fist onto the arm. He then looked up to the operations station. "Hail the raider. Let's find out exactly who's on board."

"They're hailing us, sir," Phillips revealed. "Putting it on screen." The image of the starscape on the main viewer was replaced by the interior of the raider's cockpit. It was quite dimly lit, though whether this was a result of the battle, Blakeney wasn't sure. A ruptured conduit in the background was leaking a gas into the room. The ship's one crewmember was sitting in the pilot's chair. Upon seeing him, Blakeney slowly stood up. Though the face had Borg implants in it, and a goatee, Blakeney recognised it as the face of his former First Officer.

"Nick?" he gasped.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" demanded Nicholas Ryan. It was his face and his voice. But his mannerisms and attitude seemed different. Something told Blakeney that this wasn't the Ryan he knew.

"I couldn't allow you to destroy the _Armageddon_," Blakeney stated.

"This is not your concern, Captain," Ryan snapped. "This is between me and Nyah!"

"Sorry, Nick, but Nyah has vital information that I want," responded Blakeney. "I need her alive."

"Oh, of course," reasoned Ryan. "It's all so simple. You and she are in this together."

"Excuse me," Blakeney sceptically inquired.

"You've had alliances with her before," remembered Ryan. "Who's to say you're not working with her this time?"

"Number One, I don't have time for this," the Captain snapped. He had called Ryan by his old nickname without even thinking. "We need to track Nyah."

"Oh I'm sure you do," retorted Ryan. "To get the 'vital information' out of her."

"That's right," nodded Blakeney.

"I have been tracking her for days, Captain," snarled Ryan, "and your interference just prevented me from delivering what she deserves."

"'What she deserves'?" echoed Blakeney. "What grudge do you have with her?"

"As I said," Ryan replied, "that is between me and Nyah." Blakeney sighed and returned to his seat.

"I don't suppose you know where she's gone?" he asked. Ryan was once one of Blakeney's best officers, surely that sense of loyalty was still in him somewhere.

"As if you don't know where your accomplice has gone," scoffed Ryan.

"We are not accomplices, Nick!" Blakeney gritted his teeth. "Now do you know where the hell she's gone?"

"Yes I do," Ryan answered, "but if you think I'm going to tell you then you're sourly mistaken! Now if you'll excuse me, Captain, I need to get going, before Nyah gets too far ahead of me."

"Mister Erram," Blakeney spoke to the Bolian without taking his eyes off Nick, "lock phasers on Mister Ryan's engines. Fire on my command."

"What are you doing?" wondered Ryan.

"If we disable your engines it'll be difficult for you to follow the _Armageddon_," explained Blakeney.

"I don't think you'll do that, Captain," Ryan decided.

"Don't call my bluff, Ryan" Blakeney said. "We both know I'll give the order to fire!" Ryan's confidence faded slightly. He knew his old Captain well, and so knew that he wasn't bluffing. "Where has she gone?" demanded Blakeney. Ryan went silent, as if contemplating the situation.

Fortescue leant towards Blakeney and whispered, "You appear to be at loggerhead, sir."

"Indeed, Miss Fortescue," agreed Blakeney.

"Captain," Wilcox suddenly cried, "his ship is powering up!"

"What?" Blakeney jumped out of his chair, just as Ryan's face disappeared from the screen.

"I believe he's about to enter a transwarp conduit!" explained the Science Officer.

"More Borg enhancements," Fortescue observed.

Blakeney spun around to face the security/tactical station, "Erram fire phasers. Disable his propulsion system." The Bolian nodded and carried out the order, sending a phaser blast from the _Warrior_. This slammed into Ryan's raider, just as it began to move off, stopping it in its tracks. Unfortunately, a massive explosion erupted from the belly of the vessel, which spread across the hull and blew the ship to pieces.


	4. Chapter 3

**Chapter**

**3**

"Erram, what the hell happened?" Blakeney demanded. "I wanted that ship disabled not destroyed!"

"I'm sorry, Captain," apologised Erram, checking his readings. "I think our weapons fire must've caused a core breach. The systems were still weak after the battle."

The bridge crew looked at the wreckage on the viewscreen. For a few moments, the bridge remained silent as everyone thought about what had just happened. Their former First Officer and, in most cases, good friend had just been killed.

"Goodbye, Nick," Blakeney stated under his breath. But there'd be time for mourning later, right now they had a job to do. "Lieutenant Parson, can you tell what course Mister Ryan had laid in?"

"I think so, Captain," responded the helmsman. "According to the sensors he was heading for…" he paused whilst he checked the data, "the badlands."

"Good work, Jo," the Captain complimented. "Set a course and engage at maximum warp." Parson carried out the order and soon the _Warrior_ had entered warp speed.

"If Nyah has gone to the badlands it would explain a lot," Fortescue reasoned. "They'd be the perfect hiding place for the smugglers."

"Indeed," agreed Blakeney. "The Maquis used them to good effect, so there's no reason why the smuggling ring shouldn't."

"Captain," Phillips said, "what if Nyah hasn't gone to the badlands. Maybe Nick put in a fake course so we'd be fooled as to her real whereabouts."

"Maybe," Blakeney reasoned, "but at the moment all we have to go on is his course. We'll proceed to the badlands. Miss Fortescue, you have the bridge."

The Captain crossed the bridge but just before he entered his ready room, the voice of Lieutenant Gaskin sounded on the intercom, "Gaskin to bridge."

"What is it, Joanne?" Fortescue asked. Blakeney stopped in his tracks and listened.

* * *

Down in the lower levels, Assistant Chief Engineer Gaskin knelt over a person lying on the floor.

"I've just found a crewmember on deck 14," explained Gaskin. "It's Crewman Kent. He's unconscious."

"Unconscious?" echoed Blakeney. "Cause?"

"I can't tell, Captain," responded Gaskin. "But I don't think it was any kind of engineering accident."

* * *

"Get him to sickbay, Lieutenant," Blakeney moved back into the centre of the bridge. "Tell Doctor Stacey to find the cause of Mister Kent's unconsciousness." Suddenly, the turbolift doors whooshed open. Blakeney spun around and saw Nicholas Ryan stride out. "Number One?" Blakeney sputtered.

"He must've beamed over just before his ship was destroyed," Fortescue reasoned. "Which explains why Crewman Kent is unconscious."

"I am taking control of your ship, Captain," stated Ryan.

"I beg your pardon!" Blakeney gritted his teeth.

"You destroyed my ship, so now I'm using yours to complete my mission," Ryan explained. He moved away from the turbolift and crossed the bridge, heading for the conn station.

Blakeney signalled to his Security Chief, "Erram." The Bolian pulled out a type-2 phaser and fired it at Ryan. It had no effect, however, as the beam appeared to be absorbed into a green shield that appeared around the ex-drone's body.

"I think his Borg shields are still working," Erram pointed out. By now Ryan had reached conn and proceeded to throw Lieutenant Parson out of the way. He raised his left hand and injected the console with Borg assimilation tubules.

"Captain," exclaimed Phillips, "he's attempting to take control of all command functions."

"Shut him out!" ordered the Captain.

"I can't!" Phillips replied.

"Computer," said Blakeney, "transfer command to engineering. Full security alert!" Every console on the bridge went blank as the command systems were re-routed to engineering. Ryan realised what was happening and slammed the console in response.

"Dammit!" he cursed. Disconnecting himself, he made his way back to the turbolift.

"Oh no you don't!" stated Blakeney, grabbing his former First Officer, but Ryan just pushed past the Captain, knocking him to the floor. Ryan hurried into the turbolift and ordered it to take him down to deck 11, engineering. Blakeney climbed back to his feet and commanded, "Computer, re-enable bridge control. Security protocols. Authorisation Blakeney omega-five-one-four-eight!" The consoles around the bridge then came back on-line and the officers quickly began working at them again. "Blakeney to engineering."

* * *

Lieutenant Commander Benjamin Jackson looked up from his console when he heard the hail.

"Go ahead, Captain," replied the Jamaican.

"We have an intruder on board," explained the Captain, "he's heading for engineering. Evacuate that section and lock out the engineering stations."

"Yes, sir," Jackson didn't hesitate and jumped up from his chair.

* * *

In another section of deck 11, a set of doors opened and Nicholas Ryan strode out of the turbolift. As he walked down the corridor, emergency forcefields were erected at regular intervals. This was not unexpected, though, because as an ex-Starfleet officer, Ryan knew all of the procedures. Undeterred, and with a little help from his Borg implants, Ryan strode on, passing through the containment fields as if they weren't there.

One way or the other, he was going to get control of this ship.

* * *

"Forcefields are having no effect," reported Fortescue, who was working at the security/tactical station. "He's passing straight through them."

"He's entered engineering, Captain," Phillips stated.

The Captain activated the intercom, "Blakeney to security."

* * *

Down in engineering, Ryan headed straight for the command stations flanking the warp core.

"Computer," he ordered, "erect a level 10 forcefield around engineering." He heard a slight buzz as the forcefield was activated. _Now to set about taking control._ He began to tap in commands to a console, but nothing happened and a display told him that he was locked out. As the former First Officer cursed the computer, the main doors into engineering opened and Lieutenant Erram walked in, followed by two security officers. All three were armed with type-2 phasers. Unfortunately, however, they took a few steps into engineering and were then blocked by the containment field.

Erram tapped his combadge, "Bridge, he's erected a forcefield. It'll take several minutes to de-activate it." Without even looking at the security officers, Ryan made his way over to the console on the railings around the warp core, which he injected with his assimilation tubules, in an attempt to bypass the lockout.

* * *

Blakeney crossed the bridge and hurried up the steps in front of the ops console.

"Where is he exactly," asked the Captain.

"Engineering console sixteen-beta," Phillips told him. Blakeney came behind the ops console and began tapping in commands to the computer. "Captain?" wondered the Ops Officer.

"I'm sending an EM surge to that station," explained Blakeney. "Ryan's going down whether he likes it or not."

* * *

Before Ryan could break the encryption code, the EM surge disrupted his link. Pulses of energy rippled through his body, rendering him unconscious. Blue energy sparked across his Borg implants. Erram looked across at the body lying on the floor.

"He's down, Captain," the Bolian reported.

* * *

Blakeney smiled at Phillips then left the ops console and headed towards his chair.

"Get him to sickbay, Erram," he ordered. "Tell the Doctor to keep him sedated for now."

* * *

Not long later, Captain Blakeney poured himself yet another cup of tea from his pot. Returning to his desk, he smelt the seductive aroma of the beverage. Before he'd even had a chance to pull up his chair, the ready room door chime sounded.

"Come," he invited. Lieutenant Cate Merrick entered from the bridge, followed by Jackson.

"You asked to see us, Captain," announced Jackson.

"That's right, people," nodded Blakeney. "Please have a seat." The new arrivals seated themselves in the chairs in front of Blakeney's desk.

"Is something wrong, sir?" Merrick asked.

"I assume you're both aware of the little incident that just transpired on board," assumed Blakeney.

"We know there was an intruder on board," answered Merrick.

"But we're in the dark as to who it was," finished Jackson.

Blakeney paused for dramatic effect, then stated, "It was Nick."

"Nick?" echoed Merrick. "You mean Commander Ryan?"

"That's correct, Counsellor," affirmed Blakeney. "My former FO."

"Why was Nick attacking the _Warrior_?" Jackson was amazed.

"Are you aware of what happened to Mister Ryan after he left _Warrior_?" Blakeney inquired.

"I don't think any of the crew do," admitted Merrick. "We tried contacting him a few times, just to keep in touch, but after about twelve months he stopped returning our calls."

"After his promotion to Captain," Blakeney said, "he was given command of the _Starship Legion_. Unfortunately, about a year later, he and his crew encountered the Borg, which resulted in Nick being captured and eventually assimilated."

"My God, that's terrible," exclaimed Merrick.

"Presumably he was liberated from the Collective," Jackson wondered.

Blakeney nodded, "The _Starship Nautilus_ rescued him from the Borg vessel. Most of his implants were removed from his body, though some needed to be retained so he could live. Unfortunately, his actions as a Borg weighed heavily on his conscience and as a result left Starfleet."

"He resigned his commission?" Jackson asked.

"No," Blakeney answered, "although he left Starfleet he never officially resigned."

"What must that have done to him psychologically?" Merrick thought out loud.

"Well since he left Starfleet he's turned into some kind of vigilante," finished Blakeney. "He wanders the galaxy looking for injustices that he can put right."

"That doesn't explain why he attacked us though, Captain," Jackson pointed out.

Blakeney enlightened him, "I'm not sure why, but he is trying to track down Nyah Khan, possibly with the intent of killing her."

"She must've done something that Nick thinks deserves punishing," guessed Jackson.

"Exactly," agreed Blakeney, "but we need Nyah alive as she may hold the key to bringing down this smuggling ring."

"Then surely we need to convince Nick that we're both on the same side," Merrick thought out loud.

"Well we're both looking for the _Armageddon_ so it would seem reasonable that we search together," Blakeney nodded.

"Do you think you can convince him to work with us?" wondered Merrick.

"He was a member of this crew for five years," Blakeney replied. "I'm sure that he still has his sense of loyalty under all of that Borg programming."

"I hope you're right, sir," Jackson sighed.

"So do I, Ben," said Blakeney. He took a sip of his tea then replaced the cup in its saucer. "Mister Ryan is in sickbay at the moment, under sedation. Once I've convinced him that we should be allies and not enemies, I want you to assign him some quarters. He'll be with us for at least several hours, if not more."

"Yes, Captain," nodded Merrick.

"Aye, sir," Jackson acknowledged.

"Cate, Ben," Blakeney went on, "I want the two of you to spend some time with Nick. You were two of his closest friends and I'm sure it'll do him some good to spend some time with his old colleagues."

"I'd have to agree with you," agreed Merrick.

"Come on," motioned Blakeney, heading towards the door.

* * *

Commander Joel Stacey MD couldn't believe who was lying on the main bio-bed in sickbay. Fate had dealt him a cruel blow. Last time the Doctor had seen Nick Ryan he had been one of the most promising officers to come out of the Academy, with numerous successes behind him and just on his way to take command of his own starship. But now look at him. As if his assimilation wasn't enough, Borg implants were still visible all over his body to remind him of his terrible ordeal. He'd also left Starfleet, the organisation to which he'd dedicated his life, and was now going around the universe in his own ship, which itself had just been destroyed.

_But on the up side, _thought Stacey, replacing the peripheral scanner into the medical tricorder, _he's in perfect health! _The CMO moved away from the bed and placed the tricorder on the freestanding console in the centre of the room, which he began to work at. Lieutenant Erram was stood by the windows through to the office and another two security officers flanked the entrance doors. All three wore type-2 phasers at their waists. Stacey wondered whether all these precautions were really necessary. After all, it was only Nick! Hadn't anyone told them that he wasn't a member Borg Collective anymore?

Upon hearing the doors open, the doctor looked up. Blakeney was entering, followed by Jackson and Merrick.

"How is he?" asked Blakeney, stopping by the freestanding workstation and looking over to where Ryan was lying on the bio-bed.

"He's fine," reported Stacey. "The EM pulse had no residual side-effects and other than that he appears to be in perfect health, physically. I've got him under a mild sedative."

"Joel," Blakeney inquired, "is it possible to disable some of his Borg systems?"

"I don't think so," replied the Doctor. "All the implants he has left are there because he needs them to live. His body has become dependant on them."

"He doesn't need Borg shields or the ability to pass through our containment barriers to live," snapped Blakeney.

"True," agreed Stacey, "but even if those implants could be deactivated, I don't know enough about Borg technology to carry out such a procedure." Blakeney nodded, less than satisfied.

"Wake him," the Captain ordered.

Stacey picked up a hypospray from the equipment trolley, then clipped in a vial. Blakeney followed Stacey to the bio-bed, where the latter injected the carotid artery in Ryan's neck. Slowly, the ex-Borg's eyes flickered and then opened. He quickly sat bolt upright when he realised where he was.

"Captain Blakeney," he noticed his former CO. "How dare you interfere with my mission!"

"I cannot and will not let you gain control of my starship," stated Blakeney.

"But you are willing to let Nyah Khan get away?" argued Ryan, jumping down from the bed. "You've done nothing to allay my suspicions about you and she working together."

"We are not working together, but I cannot let you kill her either," Blakeney explained. "And as it happens we're currently on a course to the badlands. I assume that's where she's going?" Ryan remained silent. "Look," Blakeney continued, "we can either find her together, or I'll drop you off at the nearest starbase and we'll do this without your help."

"Why do you need to find her, Captain?" demanded Ryan.

"We believe she may have information about the smuggling ring that are operating in this quadrant," Blakeney told him. "She killed the informer we were supposed to get the information from."

"Same old Nyah," Ryan coldly stated. "She kills a lot of people!"

"Is that why you're trying to find her?" inquired Blakeney, "because of someone she killed?"

"Someone I met during my travels," Ryan replied. "She was a close friend."

"Nick," Blakeney tried to reason with his old FO, "you know as well as I do that killing Nyah will make you as bad as she is. Two wrongs don't make a right."

"Ugh! Don't lecture me, Captain," Ryan bitterly said. "I am going to find her and deliver what she deserves."

"That'll be a bit difficult," Blakeney pointed out. "You no longer have a ship."

"Whose fault is that?" Ryan accused.

"We are both trying to find Nyah," Blakeney reasoned. "You know where she is, but you don't have a ship. I do. Why don't we work together?"

"I work alone now, Captain!" retorted Ryan.

"You don't appear to have much of a choice, Number One," Blakeney told him.

"Don't call me that!" shouted Ryan. "I am not your Number One anymore!"

"I apologise," said Blakeney. "Force of habit."

"I know you, Captain!" Ryan gritted his teeth. "Strutting around the galaxy in your starship! But will you be strutting when… when… when there's nothing left to strut about? Hmm? Will you be strutting then?"

"Perhaps," Blakeney smiled. "Now what do you say we find Nyah together?"

"I will enter into this alliance only because I have to," responded Ryan. "Maintain your course to the badlands."

"Thank you, Nick," Blakeney was relieved. He motioned to Merrick and Jackson, who'd been watching the discussion from the console in the centre of sickbay. "Ben and Cate will assign you some quarters." Without another word, Ryan strode out of sickbay, and Jackson and Merrick hurried after him. Erram also made to go with them but Blakeney shook his head. The Captain then turned to Stacey and sighed.


	5. Chapter 4

**Chapter**

**4**

Whoosh. The turbolift doors opened and Merrick stepped out. Ryan followed next, then Jackson. The three of them walked off down the corridor.

"So who was your friend?" Merrick asked. "The one who Nyah murdered."

"Spare me your pedantic psychobabble, Counsellor," Ryan snapped.

"This has nothing to do with my job as Ship's Counsellor," corrected Merrick.

"We're your friends, Nick," Jackson reminded him. "We're worried about you."

"Her name was Ashley Jones," Ryan said. "I teamed up with her on numerous occasions, whenever I was in her neighbourhood." Both Merrick and Jackson wondered why, if he'd teamed up with someone before, he was reluctant to work with Captain Blakeney.

"Well," Merrick announced, stopping by a set of doors, "here we are then." She opened the doors and entered the guest quarters beyond. Ryan walked in after her.

"We did think about putting you in your old quarters," Jackson explained as he entered the room, "but as Jenny occupies them now, we didn't think she'd be too impressed." Nick didn't even smile at this attempt at humour.

"These quarters are adequate," he stated. "Thank you."

"So how about a drink?" offered Jackson. "For old times sake."

"I know that Blakeney sent you to make me feel comfortable," responded Ryan, "but I don't intend to stay on board long enough to get comfy! Once we've found Nyah I intend to be on my way again."

* * *

"What the hell is the matter with him?" Blakeney demanded. "Why is he being so damn irrational?"

"Captain, you're still thinking of him as the man you knew," Merrick explained. "Think of what has happened to him since you last saw him nearly two years ago. Can you imagine how that must've affected him? He is a completely different person now." Blakeney paced back and forth along the upper level of his ready room.

"I won't accept that," decided Blakeney. "Nick is still in there somewhere."

"Maybe," Merrick surmised. "But if so, that Nick is buried in the deep recesses of this Nick's psyche."

"Then it's your job to bring it back out," Blakeney stopped pacing and leant on the handrail.

"We've been trying, sir," admitted Merrick. "In fact Ben's with him now, but Nick seems reluctant to renew his friendship with us. He's moved on."

* * *

"Do you remember the time we were on that away mission and you tried to swing across the river using that rope? Then the tree snapped throwing you into the water, and when I tried to help you out, I slipped and fell in too!" Jackson asked as he escorted Ryan down a corridor. "Boy was that hilarious!"

"I have a full memory record of that incident," Ryan answered.

"Or what about the time we…" began Jackson.

"Why do you keep bringing up memories from the past?" Ryan wondered.

"I'm just reminiscing, Nick," Jackson explained.

"I would prefer that you didn't," Nick told him. Jackson frowned, but remained silent as the two of them rounded a corner. "You are heading for the officer's mess hall," Ryan stated. "For what purpose?"

"Well I don't know about you," responded Jackson, "but I'm starving. We're going to get some food"

"I do not believe that would be wise," cautioned Ryan, as the two of them approached one of the sets of doors into the mess hall.

"Why not?" wondered Jackson, stepping through the doorway as the doors slid open. Upon entering the room, exactly what Nick thought would happen happened. All the officers in the mess, seated around the tables, turned to face their former First Officer and ex-Borg Drone. The conversations in the room went dead as the air was filled with silence.

"Come on," Jackson led Mister Ryan over to the replicators on the back wall, behind the bar. Slowly, the noise level in the room began to return to normal as the conversations started up again, though the subject of them undoubtedly changed to the man standing with the Chief Engineer at the replicator terminals. "What can I get for you?" Jackson asked.

"Nothing," Ryan replied. "I don't require anything at this time."

"Suit yourself," was Jackson's response to this. The Jamaican engineer ordered himself a Chicken Caesar Salad and a mug of his favourite coffee. After retrieving his order from the replicator chamber, Jackson led Ryan over to a two-person table where they seated themselves. As the engineer began eating his salad, Nick noticed something on one of the other tables in the room. Assistant Chief Engineer Joanne Gaskin had left her seat and appeared to be coming towards Ryan.

"Nick," she smiled at him. "I'd heard you were back on board. It's good to see you again."

"Lieutenant," Ryan nodded to her.

"What have you been doing with yourself?" wondered Gaskin.

"Keeping busy," was all Ryan told her.

"How long are you going to be with us then?" Gaskin inquired. "Will you have time for a drink sometime?"

"I doubt it," replied Ryan. "I'm only here because I have to be. As soon as I've completed my mission I'll be leaving again."

"Shame," Gaskin stated, walking back to her table.

"She was only being polite, Nick," Jackson pointed out.

"I don't have time for socialising," Ryan said. "I prefer to concentrate on my objective then once I've carried it out I'll be gone." Jackson looked out of the windows and noticed that the _Warrior_ was dropping out of warp speed. Directly ahead of them were the swirling green plasma storms of the badlands.

"Looks like we're there," stated Jackson. Ryan turned around to face the windows and noticed that they had indeed arrived at their ominous destination. The vigilante rose to his feet. "Where are you going?" Jackson asked. Ryan ignored the question, so Jackson jumped up to follow his old friend. As Nick made to leave Jackson grabbed his sleeve, which resulted in Ryan spinning around and pushing the engineer away from him. The unfortunate Jamaican stumbled backwards and slammed into the bar, due to the force of the ex-Borg's push. Everyone watched in stunned silence as the ex-Starfleet Officer exited the mess hall.

* * *

Captain Blakeney raced out of his ready room to find the bridge at Red Alert.

"Report," he ordered.

Erram responded, "I've received an alert from security. Mister Ryan attacked Commander Jackson in the officer's mess, and three other crewmen on deck 2."

"Bridge to Mister Ryan," Blakeney activated the intercom. "Nick, if you can hear me respond." There was no response. _What the hell is he up to this time?_ the Captain asked himself.

Fortescue moved across the bridge to the security/tactical station, and asked, "What's his location?"

"Deck 6, section 28 alpha," Erram answered.

"Take a security team," ordered Fortescue, taking over the controls as Erram left his post and entered the turbolift.

Blakeney looked up towards his FO, "Order all security personnel to configure their weapons to a rotating modulation but keep them on stun!"

* * *

Nicholas Ryan strode down a hallway on deck 6. As he rounded a corner he noted two security officers approaching him, holding type-2 phasers. He recognised the male as Ensign Conrad but the female, a young Chinese lady, was unfamiliar to him.

"Stop right there!" Conrad commanded. Ryan ignored him and walked on. Conrad nodded then he and the female Crewman raised their phasers and fired at the ex-Borg. This did not deter Ryan as his Borg shields absorbed the blasts, and he pushed past the two security officers. Just in case, Conrad fired again, this time impacting Ryan's back as he moved off down the corridor, but again, it had no effect.

* * *

"Ensign Conrad to the bridge," Conrad's voice echoed over the intercom.

"Go ahead, Ensign," Blakeney responded.

"Our weapons had no effect, sir," reported Conrad. "They failed to stop Mister Ryan." Blakeney stormed over to where his First Officer was stood at the security/tactical station.

"Captain," Fortescue stated as Blakeney approached, "he's entering the armoury on deck 6!"

* * *

The door to the armoury on deck 6 whooshed open allowing Ryan to exit. He was carrying a type-3 compression phaser rifle that he had obtained. Not far down the hallway was a turbolift, which the vigilante entered.

"Deck 10," ordered Ryan as the doors closed. As the lift began to move, Ryan began to work on one of the keypads.

* * *

"He's in a turbolift," Phillips reported from ops. Blakeney raced over to her position.

"Cut power to the turboshaft," the Captain commanded. Phillips tried but it was no good.

"He's blocking my commands with a Borg encryption code," she explained. Blakeney checked the ops console to see where Nick was heading.

"Blakeney to Erram," he then opened a comm. link. "Nick's apparently heading for deck 10. Can you get there before he does?"

* * *

"I'm moving into position now, Captain," the Bolian confirmed. He hurried down a corridor, followed by two security officers. All three of them were armed with phaser rifles. Erram stopped them outside a set of turbolift doors. "We'll take up position here," he decided. A security officer stood either side of the door, whilst Erram took up position opposite it. The three of them remained silent as they heard a lift approaching. The Security Chief tensed himself as the lift came to a stop. Having never met Ryan before, he had none of the emotional baggage that the majority of the rest of the crew had for their former First Officer. A second later, the doors opened, revealing Ryan standing in the turbolift, brandishing the phaser rifle. "Lower your weapon and stand down," ordered Erram. Ryan stepped out of the lift with his weapon raised. He was obviously not going to comply. "Fire!" Erram gave the command.

He and the two security officers opened fire. The blasts from their rifles slammed into Ryan's chest, sending him stumbling back, but his Borg shields again prevented it from harming him. Now it was his turn. Pulling the trigger of his stolen rifle, he let off his own attack, first shooting the officer to his right, then his left. Ryan then raised the rifle towards Erram, but the nimble Bolian dived behind a bulkhead, just managing to avoid a phaser blast. He saw Ryan move off down the corridor and so rushed over to his fallen officers. They were only stunned.

* * *

The Security Chief reported, "Erram to bridge. We were unable to stop him. He's heading for junction 32 alpha."

"The shuttle bay!" realised Blakeney.

"I'm sealing the bay doors," Phillips quickly set about typing in commands to her console.

* * *

Nicholas Ryan approached the doors to the shuttle bay, but they did not open when he tried to walk through them. He moved to the control pad in the wall to the left of the doors. He was still unable to open them. It looked like Captain Blakeney had managed to seal the doors, but that wouldn't keep him out. He slung the rifle over his shoulder, raised his left arm and used his right hand to type in controls to a panel on the back of his left wrist. He soon began to dematerialise in a green haze.

* * *

"I'm detecting a transporter beam," Phillips told the Captain, reading the information being relayed to the ops console.

"He must still have his Borg personal transporter," Blakeney reasoned.

* * *

Down in the shuttle bay, Ryan rematerialised in another green haze. He was inside one of the _Warrior's_ shuttles. Throwing the phaser rifle onto one of the sofas, he moved to the controls.

* * *

"He's in a shuttlecraft," Phillips reported, "powering engines."

"Seal the launch doors," commanded Blakeney. He wasn't going to let Nick leave his ship.

* * *

Nick on the other hand had other ideas. Seeing that the doors were sealed, he fired a blast from the shuttle's phaser banks, blasting a hole in the shuttle bay doors. This allowed him to pilot the stolen type-8 shuttle safely away from the _U.S.S. Warrior_.

* * *

The bridge crew grabbed for support as the ship shook due to Ryan's phaser blast.

"Tractor beam!" Blakeney rushed over to the security/tactical station.

"No effect," Fortescue discovered. "He's adjusted the shuttle's shield harmonics."

Lieutenant Wilcox looked up from the science station, "Captain, Ryan's entered the badlands."

"What the hell's he doing?" Blakeney demanded. "Follow him!" the Captain shouted at Parson, who put the _Warrior_ on a pursuit course into the badlands. Upon entering the storms, the sleek Starfleet vessel gracefully swerved the violent plasma filaments, whilst retaining a course that followed the stolen type-8 shuttle through the field. Blakeney paced up and down his bridge, watching the badlands on the viewscreen. Swirls of greens rippled above and below his vessel. Discharges shot out randomly, and the filaments quivered in their path. He knew that if they were struck, it could be disastrous. These had been the perfect hiding place for the Maquis when they existed. Though not even these fierce storms could stop the Dominion from hunting down every last one of the rebels.

"Captain," Wilcox interrupted Blakeney's thoughts, "Ryan's entered orbit of a planet." Blakeney stopped pacing and leant on the railings to the left of conn.

"Take us into orbit of the same planet, Jo." He ordered.

"Aye, sir," the helmsman complied. The viewscreen showed the dull brown and grey planet amidst the dangerous plasma storms. Orbiting it was the Starfleet shuttle and Blakeney also noted the _Armageddon_ in orbit.

"Hail him, Commander," Blakeney decided.

"No response," Phillips shook her head after carrying out the order.

"He's transporting himself to the surface," Wilcox stated suddenly, as the data appeared on her console.

"Track his position," Blakeney made his way towards the turbolift. "Send the co-ordinates to transporter room two." Wilcox set about carrying out the task. "Have Mister Erram, Doctor Stacey and Counsellor Merrick meet me in the transporter room," added Blakeney as he entered the turbolift.


	6. Chapter 5

**Chapter**

**5**

A short time later, Captain Blakeney, Doctor Stacey, Counsellor Merrick and Lieutenant Erram materialised on the planet surface. They were all equipped with a tricorder and a type-2 phaser each, which at present, were holstered at their waists. The four officers looked around at the environment around them. It wasn't the most inviting they'd ever seen. They appeared to be in a valley, but there was no grass, or trees, or plant life of any kind. The landscape was covered in brown and grey dirt, with numerous rocks scattered around, and the sky was dark and foreboding.

The Bolian Security Chief opened his tricorder, and after scanning the area, reported, "Ryan's gone in that direction." He pointed to a collection of boulders at the base of the valley wall.

"It looks like there's a cave of some sort," Stacey noted.

"That's where he must be," decided Blakeney, striding off towards the opening in the rocks. His officers followed him. "I can't believe how determined he is to kill Nyah," muttered the Captain. "That friend of his that she killed must've been important to him." He turned to Cate, "Did you find out anything about this acquaintance of his, Counsellor?"

Merrick shook her head, "Only her name: Ashley Jones. Other than that Nick…"

"Did you say Ashley Jones?" Blakeney interrupted her and stopped in his tracks.

"That's right," confirmed Merrick.

"Ashley Jones was the informer we were going to meet on Graccus VI," Erram pointed out. "But we didn't get the chance because…"

"Because Nyah had killed her!" Blakeney finished.

"Then if Nick knew Jones, maybe he has information about the smuggling ring," Stacey theorised.

"Come on," Blakeney began moving again, hurrying towards the cave.

* * *

The thud of Nyah Khan's boot as it hit the rock floor, echoed around the cavern she had just entered. The mercenary had made her way through the winding tunnels of the cave, and the thin stone passageways had now opened out into this spacious compartment, which was badly lit using crude lighting in the walls.

"This is it," Nyah said to the member of her crew who had accompanied her, a Human male with long black hair. The two mercenaries strode towards the centre of the cavern and as they did so, the sound of Nyah's flowing coat resounded in the cave as it billowed at her moving feet.

"You are late!" a voice stated as Nyah and her companion came to a stop in the centre of the cavern.

"Do I look like I care?" was Nyah's cold response. As soon as she had spoken, a figure began to emerge from the shadows in the far wall. He was a short, sneaky-looking Dopterian male. He approached Nyah, rubbing his hands together. Behind him, another figure emerged from the shadows. This one was a tall, well-built Bajoran man.

"I'm glad you could make it," smiled the Dopterian.

"Who the hell are you?" Nyah demanded, "and why did you invite me here?"

"I'm a representative," explained the Dopterian, "from the Association."

"The Association?" Nyah echoed. "The massive smuggling operation?"

"That's correct, Ms Khan," nodded the Dopterian.

"So what the hell do you want with me?" inquired Nyah.

"We want you to join us," the Dopterian smiled.

"What?" Nyah was taken aback.

"Your reputation precedes you, Ms Khan," the Dopterian explained. "You and your crew seem to have a knack for avoiding the authorities, especially Starfleet. As you can imagine, a woman with your talents could be an asset to an organisation such as the Association."

"I work alone," Nyah adamantly stated.

"Not anymore," the Dopterian told her. "You work for us now. Your first assignment is to smuggle a shipment of…"

"Are you deaf?" snarled Nyah. "I have no wish to work for you or anyone else."

"That is an unwise decision," replied the Dopterian, gritting his teeth. "Nobody refuses the Association."

"I just did!" Nyah pointed out.

The Dopterian smiled, "Perhaps you are unaware of the benefits that come with being part of our organisation."

"Perhaps you are unaware that I couldn't care less about your benefits," Nyah retorted.

"I see," the Dopterian stopped smiling and began to frown. "That is most unfortunate." He signalled to the Bajoran behind him, who pulled out a disrupter pistol, which he pointed at the two mercenaries. Without hesitation, Nyah and her crewmember both pulled out their own disrupter pistols, which they aimed at the Dopterian and the Bajoran. "An unfortunate turn of events," noted the Dopterian.

"Doesn't bother me," shrugged Nyah.

"If you kill us, Ms Khan," pointed out the Dopterian, "the Association will never let you…"

"Shut up!" Nyah suddenly interrupted. She tilted her head slightly. "Do you hear something?"

* * *

Nicholas Ryan surveyed the passageway ahead. The light on top of his stolen phaser rifle illuminated the winding path in front of him. As the stone walkway curved around to the left, an opening became evident. Ryan stepped through this archway and found that the passageway opened out into a large cavern of some sort. From what he could see, the cave was deserted, but Ryan was certain that Nyah had come this way, and a footprint in the dirt on the floor was confirmation that someone had passed this way recently. He assumed that there must be another way out of the cavern. As he swept the beam of his light over the opposite wall, he noticed too late that a couple of figures dived at him from either side. They grabbed him by the shoulders and slammed him backwards into the rock wall of the cavern, which stunned Ryan slightly, causing him to drop the phaser rifle. As the ex-Drone regained his composure, he looked at the two attackers. One was a muscular Bajoran male, and the other, a long-haired man with stubble. Before he could ask questions, two more figures walked out of the shadows. The first one Ryan noticed was a weedy looking Dopterian, and the second, none other than Nyah Khan.

"Well, well, well," the Dopterian said. "What have we here?"

"Looks like I have a stalker!" Nyah sarcastically stated. She approached the vigilante. "Nicholas Ryan!"

"You know this man?" asked the Dopterian.

"I do," responded Nyah, "but last time we met he was a Starfleet officer." She examined the man in front of her. He wasn't wearing a Starfleet uniform and his body was riddled with Borg implants. "What the hell happened to you?"

"As if you care!" snapped Ryan.

"You're right, Ryan," Nyah agreed. "I don't care. But I do want to know why you attacked me earlier, in an old Maquis raider."

"I am delivering what you deserve!" Ryan replied.

"Really?" Nyah seemed uninterested.

"Remember Ashley Jones?" demanded Ryan.

"Should I?" Nyah wondered.

"You killed her!" Ryan explained. "Murdered her in cold blood!"

"Shame," yawned Nyah.

"And now I am going to kill you!" finished Ryan.

"You're going to avenge her death?" Nyah chuckled. "I don't think you're in a position to do that!" She pulled the disrupter pistol from her belt and pointed it at Ryan.

"You can't keep killing everyone, Khan!" cried the ex-Starfleet officer.

"Why not?" Nyah wondered. "I don't think anyone's going to avenge you!" She pulled the trigger of her weapon and a blast of green energy flew across the cave and slammed into Ryan's chest. However, the Borg shields prevented the discharge from harming the vigilante. "I see you have fully-functional Borg shielding to go with those cybernetic implants of yours," noted Nyah, holstering her disrupter. "But I have other methods of disposing of people." She pulled out a vicious looking dagger and began walking toward Ryan. "Your shields may be able to stop energy blasts but it can't stop a knife. The Borg cannot adapt to sharp blades," stated the mercenary.

Ryan began to struggle, trying to break away from the two men holding him. Nyah was right, and if he couldn't break free then she would surely end his life. It was no good, though. No matter how hard he struggled, the two men holding him were strong, and to make matters worse, he had a major pain in his back where he'd been slammed into the rock.

"Hold it right there, Nyah!" a familiar voice came from the passageway. Blakeney emerged pointing his type-2 phaser at the mercenary. Erram, Stacey and Merrick followed him out, into the cavern.

"What the hell is Starfleet doing here?" the Dopterian demanded.

"Looking for him, no doubt," deduced Nyah, motioning toward Ryan.

"Why?" the Dopterian wondered. Nyah ignored him.

"Isn't it strange that I'm attacked by Ryan twice in one day," Nyah said, turning to Blakeney, "and on both occasions, you show up shortly afterwards."

"Must be an amazing coincidence," Blakeney stated. "Release him."

"Wait a minute," Nyah held up her hand, "Why are you after him? He's obviously not a member of your crew anymore, Captain. So why are you following him?"

"Who said we're following him?" Blakeney tried to evade the inquiry.

Nyah grinned, "He's a renegade isn't he. I mean Starfleet certainly wouldn't sanction killing someone for revenge. That's why you're after him. Has your First Officer gone mad, Captain?"

"I told you to release him, Nyah!" Blakeney reiterated.

"Fine," shrugged Nyah. "We'll let you take him to the funny farm. I was leaving anyway." Nyah made for the passageway, as did her crewman, who released his grip on Ryan.

"No you're not," Blakeney blocked her path. "I want a word with you first." Blakeney looked at Merrick then nodded towards Ryan, who had released himself from the grip of the big Bajoran. The Counsellor walked over to Nick and put her hand on his shoulder.

"Are you all right?" she asked.

"Would someone tell me what's going on here?" the confused Dopterian wondered.

"Who's he?" Stacey asked no one in particular.

"He's no one," Nyah answered him. "Now if you don't mind, my business here is finished."

"Mine isn't!" Blakeney told her. "Now, do you remember Ashley Jones?"

"Oh, not her again!" cried Nyah. "Don't tell me you want revenge for her death too!"

"This mission has become far more complicated than I'd hoped!" Blakeney cursed. "Nyah, Nick, you both had dealings with Jones, the informer I was supposed to meet. Now will one of you please tell me that you know something about the Association."

"I don't think this involves me," the Dopterian suddenly spoke up. "Perhaps I should go and leave you all to conclude your business in peace." He quickly made to leave. Blakeney nodded to Erram who intercepted the fleeing Dopterian.

"If you're looking for information on the Association," Nyah told Blakeney, "then ask that pathetic little creature." She pointed at the Dopterian with her knife. "He claims to be one of their representatives."

"Are you sure?" Blakeney's hopes were raised. This was more than he could've hoped for. A member of the smuggling ring could be far more useful to Starfleet Intelligence than just information.

"Of course I'm sure," snapped Nyah. "The little worm just tried to get me to join their pitiful organisation."

"Did you accept?" Stacey asked her.

"Of course she didn't," Blakeney knew. "As she's told us numerous times before, she works alone."

"Precisely!" Nyah holstered her dagger. "Now get out of the way, Blakeney! I'm leaving!"

"Not so fast," Blakeney again blocked her path. "You are still guilty of the murder of Ashley Jones, not to mention numerous others."

"So what if I am?" Nyah couldn't care. "The Federation has no jurisdiction on the planet where I shot Jones. Therefore you cannot bring me to trial. See ya!" She again made for the exit.

"No!" Ryan growled. He rushed to where the phaser rifle lay on the floor. Picking it up he took aim at Nyah.

"Nick, don't!" Merrick shouted, diving towards Ryan, and rugby tackling him to the floor. Ryan's phaser fire blasted into the roof of the cavern, sending small fragments of stone falling down. Nyah ceased her exit upon hearing the commotion, and spun round to see what was happening. Seeing that Ryan was lying defenceless on the floor, she unsheathed a small throwing knife and raised it above her head, preparing to throw it at the fallen vigilante. Blakeney saw what she was doing and threw himself at her, which slammed her into the wall, causing her to drop the knife. Her crewman, however, ran up behind Blakeney and used the back of his hand to chop the back of the Captain's neck. This knocked Blakeney to the floor and released Nyah. A second later, Stacey made a fist and smacked Nyah's henchman in the face, which sent him stumbling back into the rock. Nyah meanwhile had picked up the dagger and was again preparing to throw it at Ryan, who was now back on his feet. But Blakeney, who grabbed her legs from where he was lying on the floor, again stopped her. As she fell down, she let go of the knife and it flew across the cave, embedding itself into the chest of the muscular Bajoran. As his huge body slumped to the floor, Blakeney and Nyah simultaneously clambered to their feet.

"Get out of my way, Starfleet scum!" Nyah ordered.

"I don't think so," Blakeney stood his ground. "It's about time you answered for some of your crimes!"

"Not today!" smiled Nyah. She pulled out her disrupter and pointed it at the squirming Dopterian. "If you try and stop me I'll eliminate your only link to the Association."

"Do you do anything but kill?" Blakeney snarled.

"Depends what mood I'm in!" Nyah quipped. She jovially wandered to the passageway out of the cavern, followed by her long-haired crewman. "Catch ya later!" she yelled, and was then gone.

"Let me go after her, Captain," Ryan stated quickly. "I'll bring her to justice."

"If you think murder is justice!" Merrick told him.

"The only place you're going, Mister Ryan, is back to the _Warrior_," Blakeney pointed out.

"I don't think so, Captain," Ryan replied. "I'll be on my way now!"

"How?" Erram wondered. "We destroyed your ship!"  
"That Dopterian must've got here somehow," reasoned Ryan, "and if you're taking him for questioning he won't be needing his ship anymore."

"Really," Blakeney crossed his arms and seemed uninterested. He signalled to Stacey, "Doctor." The CMO produced a hypospray that he had been carrying and made his way over to where Ryan was stood. The vigilante, however, knew all too well what was happening, so as Stacey extended his arm and tried to use the hypospray on Nick's neck, the ex-Borg knocked the Doctor's arm away from him and then punched him round the face, sending the unfortunate medic stumbling back. Blakeney ran towards his former First Officer and rugby tackled him to the floor. Then the Captain and Counsellor Merrick pinned him down. Erram watched the struggle but knew that if he tried to help, the Dopterian would make his escape, and so the Bolian held position, still pointing his phaser at the prisoner. He watched Ryan struggling as Stacey moved the hypospray towards Nick's neck, until the medic finally managed to inject the anaesthetic into his carotid artery. Ryan's body stopped resisting and lay motionless on the floor. Blakeney got to his feet and straightened the jacket of his uniform.

"Get him back to the ship," he ordered.

* * *

Blakeney stood by the sofa in his ready room and watched out of the windows as the _Warrior_ exited the badlands and went to warp. As the Captain looked at the stars stretch past his ship, the door chime sounded.

"Come," he invited. Turning around to face the door, Blakeney saw Merrick enter. "Counsellor," the Captain greeted.

"I just wanted to let you know that Doctor Stacey has got Nick secured and under sedation," Merrick explained.

"What about our Dopterian informer?" asked Blakeney.

"Erram has put him in the brig," replied Merrick.

"Thank you, Cate," Blakeney sighed, seating himself on the couch. "Oh, what a day this has been!"

"Sir," said Merrick, "may I ask what you're going to do with Nick?"

Blakeney sighed again and stated, "I've asked myself that question a hundred times!" He motioned for Merrick to have a seat on the sofa, which she did. Blakeney continued, "I can't release him and let him go his own way? If I did that, he'll go after Nyah again, no doubt. He may think what he's doing is right, but killing people for revenge is morally wrong. I cannot allow him to go around the Quadrant dishing out his own law!"

"So what other options are there?" Merrick wondered.

"Counselling," suggested Blakeney. "The Borg obviously affected him on a deep psychological level. Perhaps counselling will help him come to terms with that, and maybe he'll start to re-embrace who he was." Merrick said nothing, but watched as her captain debated his decision in his head. "I'm going to have Mister Ryan committed to the psychiatric ward of the Starfleet Medical Centre on Earth," Blakeney decided.

"I think that's the right decision, Captain," Merrick assured him.

"Thank you, Counsellor," Blakeney smiled. Cate smiled back at him, then got off the couch and exited the room. Blakeney too stood up, but before returning to his desk, the Captain looked out of the windows. He knew that somewhere, out there, Nyah Khan and the crew of the _Armageddon_ were breaking the law of some planet, or killing someone without a second glance. He vowed that he would bring her to justice. "Someday, Nyah! Someday!"


	7. Epilogue

**Epilogue**

The Starfleet Medical Centre on Earth glistened as the sun beat down upon it. Beautiful green gardens surrounded the large building, and the medical caduceus stood proudly on the front wall of the complex. Beyond the serene exterior was the clinical interior of the Centre. It contained hundreds of rooms with numerous patients of differing species and with different ailments. There were also a number of medical laboratories where new cures and treatments were devised and experimented with. In almost every corridor, Doctors and Nurses bustled around carrying out their daily duties.

Captain Blakeney slowly walked down one of these many corridors. He watched the medical staff as they conferred with each other, or pushed trays of medicine along, or escorted patients from place to place. Blakeney had a great respect for people who devoted their lives to helping others. The Captain walked around a corner and to the end of the hallway until he came to a set of doors labelled PSYCHIATRIC WARD. He pushed the keypad and the doors opened, allowing him to enter the ward beyond.

"Captain Blakeney," he was greeted by a handshake from a middle-aged, slightly plumpish Human male, whose brown hair was thinning on top. The pips on his collar revealed him to be a Lieutenant Commander. "I'm Doctor Foster," the man smiled.

"Pleased to meet you, Doctor," Blakeney returned the handshake.

"If you'd like to follow me, sir," Foster led Blakeney down the corridor.

"What do you think his chances are?" inquired Blakeney.

"Well physically I'm afraid there's nothing we can do," admitted Foster. "We can't remove his Borg implants. It would be like asking you or I to give up our lungs or our brain. He simply cannot survive without them."

"And what about his mental condition?" the Captain asked.

"Well we've obviously never had a case quite like this before," Foster stated, "but there's every chance that we can help him with his psychiatric recovery. We're quite optimistic."

"I'm pleased to hear that," Blakeney smiled. He and Foster came to a stop by a set of open doors that led to a small room beyond. A young Trill Lieutenant was stood in the doorway. The female had neck-length blonde hair and a friendly smile, which she demonstrated upon seeing Blakeney.

"This is Counsellor Blax," Foster introduced.

"I'll be responsible for Mister Ryan's psychological well being," she explained.

"Don't worry, Captain," Foster assured Blakeney, "He's in safe hands." The Captain peered through the open doors and into the small room. Directly to the left was a bathroom, and on the left wall was a mirror and shelf unit. On the opposite wall was as strip of lighting and jutting out from the right wall was a bed, upon which Nicholas Ryan lay, still unconscious.

Blakeney smiled at his former First Officer and stated, "See you soon, Nick."


End file.
